Ride of the Presidents
The Ride of the Presidents is the name given to an incident in early March 2400 during the 3rd War of Barnard's Star when three USSN Roosevelt-class cruisers encountered and destroyed a numerically superior CEGD force in the Epsilon Eridani System. Prelude to Battle Throughout the 3rd War Celestial Empire forces had been probing the Epsilon Eridani system's defences searching for weak spots which might allow the Empire to re-capture Shangri-La. To counter this the USA and Commonwealth were forced to deploy a number of ships on defensive patrols across the system. The most powerful of these forces was Task Group 18.1, a flotilla of three Theodore Roosevelt-class heavy cruisers which acted as the systems "fire brigade" being prepared to move against any incursions detected by other patrols. Most Imperial incursions into the system consisted of a small number of escort level ships, usually two or three Yan-class frigates sometimes supported by a Han-class light cruiser. These incursions were easily driven off by US forces, on many occassions the Imperial ships would withdraw as soon as they realised they had been detected. On the 5th of March 2400 however a much more powerful force entered the system intent on carrying out a major strike against the orbital facilities around Hot Springs. This force consisted of six Wuxia-class cruisers, four Han-class frigates, and a single Harbin-class support ship. The presence of the logistics vessel in the incursion fleet has long mystified US military intelligence and it was not until 2404 that they were able to discover that the Imperial fleet had hoped to capture an intact FT-27E Super Corsair fighter. The USSN's latest fighter having been responsible for the destruction of hundreds of Imperial fighters since its introduction the previous year. The Battle On the 7th of March two Albatross-class cutters staging out of Hor Springs destected the presence of a large number of ships crossing the systems FTL shelf before electronic countermeasures began jamming their radar and LIDAR, the two cutters were ordered to follow the intuders at a distance whilst Task Group 18.1 prepared to intercept. In the early hours of the 8th the two groups were within 300'00km of each other and US sensors were beginning to burn through the Imperial jamming when it suddenly stopped, probably to allow the Imperial ships to engage their targeting systems. Both sides immediately began active tracking of their opponents. The Imperial cruisers launched their fighters and formed up in a modified "Arrowhead" formation with the support ship to the rear protected by two of the frigates. The first shots of the battle were fired by the Imperial cruiser Silver River (银江) - four Kui (Tapir) anti ship missiles. Her sister ships followed suit seconds later. All twenty four missiles were intercepted by US Spacedart II missiles before they could achieve terminal lock-on (a common problem for the early Tapir missile, the lack of long range lock on was intended to reduce the dangers of "spoofing" by ECM systems or decoys) Aftermath All three US ships sustained substantial damage in the fighting, the James Monroe suffering the worst with her spaceframe badly buckled and her missile silos gutted. She remained in dry dock above Hot Springs for eighteen months. The Abraham Lincon and Woodrow Wilson however were repaired and back in fleet service within a month. Over sixty medals were awarded as a result of the Ride, including the Star Cross for Captain Borgetti of the James Monroe. All three ships were awarded Presidential Unit Citations, the first time since the founding of the USSN that more than one ship was awarded the Citation for a single action. The bodies of the thirty two USSN sailors killed in the battle were returned to either Earth or Potomac. Of the Imperial ships only a single frigate was confirmed to have escaped, the remainder of the force was either destroyed in combat or scuttled by there crews. Eighty four Imperial survivors were recovered by rescue ships despatched from Shangri-La and Hot Springs. These prisoners were eventually returned to Earth were they were exchanged for a similar number of Allied prisoners. The bodies of one hundred and seven Imperial sailors were also recovered and these were buried with full military honours at a custom dedicated cemetary on Shangri-La, their rescued comrades in attendance. Category:Battles Category:3rd War of Barnard's Star